The Killjoy and the Runaway
by Shattered Sunshine
Summary: Kate Alexander, a 16-year-old girl with a troubled secret, runs away from her home in Battery City, Caifornia. She meets the Killjoys, and soon she and Party Poison fall in love... Based on My Chemical Romance's album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1: Running Away

Kate Alexander dissolved into tears. She couldn't take another day of this;  
the pressure to be perfect, to meet everyone's expectations of her. She was  
done hiding. Quietly, she grabbed a bag and filled it with a few clothes,  
her iPod, sketchbook, journal, some pencils and black eyeliner. (She  
decided against taking her phone, because she knew that Better Living  
Industries could use its mandatory built-in tracking feature to find  
her.) She then slipped out the back door and into the desert- into a new  
life.

She had been walking for what seemed like hours, and was getting  
more and more discouraged. She brushed a strand of dark brown hair out of  
her eyes and felt herself start to cry again. She sank down against a  
rock and sobbed with her face in her hands, utterly spent. All of a  
sudden, she felt a firm hand on her shoulder, and she looked up. Through  
her tears, she saw an attractive guy with a mess of bright red hair,  
wearing what looked like...a superhero outfit? She didn't think too much  
of it- this WAS Battery City in 2019, after all- but seriously, this guy  
was cute. He said "Hey, girlie, what're you doing out here all alone?  
What's wrong?"

Unable to speak, she just continued to cry, hiding her face. He gently  
lifted her face to his, taking note of the beautiful green eyes rimmed in  
smudged black eyeliner. "Come on, angel, don't you cry," he said softly,  
rubbing her back until her sobs subsided.

When she'd stopped crying, he asked her name. "K-Kate," she replied  
nervously.

"Kate, huh? I like that. I'm Poison, Party Poison." He smiled and held  
out his hand for her to shake. Kate drew a sharp breath.

"Party Poison? Y-you mean, like, one of the-" " -Fabulous Killjoys, yeah,"  
Party Poison grinned. Kate couldn't believe it. The Killjoys were the team  
of superheroes fighting for justice against BLI, and were legendary among  
the people of Battery City. Very few people had ever seen them, and many  
didn't believe they really existed. But here, Kate had proof! She  
couldn't wait to tell all her friends- but then she remembered that she  
was running away. She took a deep breath and asked "So- where are the…the  
rest of you?" Poison gestured vaguely over his shoulder.

"Ah, we just switched patrol shifts so I went for a walk. Lucky I did, eh,  
Kate? Otherwise you might've gotten lost and even died out here; the  
desert's no place to be on your own." As he spoke, she realized that this  
was true- it was really dangerous out here, and if anything had happened to  
her….she shuddered at the thought. A chilly wind blew across the dry  
landscape, and Kate realized how dark and cold it was getting. She stood up  
off the ground and stumbled a bit from the head rush. Poison straightened  
up and stretched. He noticed Kate shivering in her thin hoodie, and quickly  
took off his jacket and offered it to her. She accepted it gratefully, and  
as she put it on she was enveloped in warmth and a comforting, musky scent  
that was instantly his. She smiled softly, and was glad that he'd started  
to walk in front of her so he couldn't see her blush. He turned and looked  
at her. "What are you waiting for? Come meet the guys."

And with that, the Killjoy and the runaway set off into the cold desert  
night.


	2. Chapter 2: Scars

After walking in silence for a little while, Kate caught up to Poison and  
they started to talk. She found out that before he joined the Killjoys, his  
name had been Gerard, which Kate found adorably dorky. He had a brother,  
Mikey- or Kobra Kid, as he was now known, and didn't have a girlfriend.  
(Kate was more than a little bit happy to hear that!) "Yeah," he said,  
"it's kinda hard to make time for, y'know, dating and stuff when we're on  
the run all the time."

She told him how she loved to draw above all else. She explained that she  
came from a wealthy family and that her parents always expected her to be  
perfect, but that she'd never had many friends and could never live up to  
their expectations. At this, she started to get choked up again, and looked  
at him with tear-filled eyes. They stopped walking, and she said

"P-Poison? Can I…show you something?" He nodded, his hazel eyes full of  
concern. Hesitantly, she rolled up her sleeve. In the bright moonlight you  
could clearly see the scars crisscrossing the inside of her arm, tens of  
jagged white lines across her skin with one or two fresher marks as well.  
She heard him gasp, and she looked up uncertainly. He said nothing, but  
gently ran a finger along the scars. She winced when he touched a newer  
cut, and he noticed and gathered her into his arms wordlessly. She could  
feel his heart beating against her chest, and she began to cry in earnest  
again. They had known each other for less than a day, but she had never  
felt this kind of connection with someone before. It was as if here, in his  
arms, was where she was meant to be.

He broke the embrace and held her at arm's length. "You are so brave. Thank  
you for showing me that, Kate. Stay strong, angel; I know you can." She  
smiled faintly. "I've never shown anyone those before. But with you- it  
just felt right , you know?" He pulled her close again and murmured into  
her hair,

"I know exactly what you mean."


	3. Chapter 3: Kate, Meet The Killjoys

By this time it was nearly midnight, and they had been walking for what  
seemed like an eternity. Party Poison held Kate's hand as they walked  
through the desert, guiding her through the darkness. They didn't talk, but  
there was a strong sense of connection just the same. Finally, Kate saw  
flickering flames up ahead, and Poison grinned and sped up his pace. As  
they came closer, she saw a campfire with three men sitting around it, and  
a beat-up Trans Am parked nearby. As they approached, the tallest of the  
guys stood up and called "Poison! Nice of you to show up- oh! Who's this?"  
The other two stood and turned towards Poison and Kate curiously, and she  
took in their appearances. The one who'd spoken first was tall and had  
crazy curly brown hair and an easy, open smile. The shorter of the other  
two had shoulder-length black hair and caramel eyes; he had a pierced lip  
and a questioning look on his face. The last of the three hung back; he was  
pale and lanky, with an angular face and messy brown-blond hair. Party  
Poison grinned and replied "This, guys, is Kate."

The two stepped into the circle, still holding hands. The man with the  
pierced lip raised an eyebrow and said "Oh ho ho! Go out for a walk and  
find yourself a beautiful girl, why don't you?" He smiled teasingly and  
lightly jogged forward; she noticed with a smile that he was only as tall  
as her, which was pretty short for a guy! He pressed his hand into her free  
hand and shook it firmly. "I'm Fun Ghoul, but you can call me Ghoul.  
Everybody does." He smiled warmly again and then sat back down around the  
campfire. Kate blushed and mumbled something, but soon the tall  
curly-haired Killjoy was shaking her hand as well. "I'm Jet Star. Great to  
meet you, hon; it's about time Poison found himself a girl!" She giggled  
and bowed her head. The one remaining guy sloped forward and stuck out his  
hand. This must be Kobra Kid, thought Kate; as he approached she could  
certainly see the resemblance to Party Poison. He mumbled something and  
shook her hand limply, then skulked back to the campfire. She was a little  
taken aback by his cold manner in relation to the other Killjoys'  
friendliness, but didn't take it personally. Poison frowned. "Sorry, Kate.  
That's Kobra; he's normally nicer, but I don't know what's gotten into him  
lately." Kate shrugged and yawned; she was getting really tired. Poison  
said "We should probably get you to bed. It's been a pretty big day, hasn't  
it?" She nodded and yawned again, and let him lead her to a tent set up  
just outside the circle of light thrown by the campfire. He murmured  
goodnight and kissed her forehead, then exited the tent and zipped it up  
before rejoining the other three around the fire. Kate snuggled into the  
blankets and sleeping bags in the tent, but before she drifted off she  
heard her name. She perked up and listened- the Killjoys were talking about  
her.

"Wealthy family…no, not celebrities…good thing…BLI….looking for her…" she  
heard Poison's voice say faintly. She couldn't make out the reply, but it  
was in a lower rumble that she assumed to be Ghoul's. An unfamiliar  
voice that she guessed must belong to Kobra spoke then, and she heard "not  
safe…stupid idea…you saw what happened last time." Poison replied in an  
angry tone, and she strained to hear "she's different…won't happen  
again…she's a strong one." Jet Star said something that made them laugh, and  
she heard the conversation change. She wondered what Kobra had meant by  
"last time", and made a mental note to ask Poison tomorrow. Finally, the  
events of the day caught up to her, and she was hit with a wave of  
exhaustion. The last thing she thought of before she fell asleep put a  
smile on her face- Poison saying "She's a strong one."


	4. Chapter 4: Sheltered

The next morning dawned bright and hot. Kate stretched and frowned,  
momentarily forgetting where she was. She looked around, taking in the  
green nylon walls of the tent and the assortment of blankets, and suddenly  
remembered yesterday- running away, Poison finding her in the desert,  
telling him about her cutting…Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she  
unzipped the tent and stepped blearily into the daylight. Ghoul greeted her  
with a "Hey, Sleeping Beauty! You decided to get up, did you?" He smiled  
and winked, letting her know he was teasing. "What time is it?" she asked.  
"Oh, about nine. But around here we usually get up and get moving around  
5:30- less chance of a clash with the Dracs." She tilted her head  
questioningly. "S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W's agents," he replied; this was met with  
another look. "Bad guys, girlie, let's leave it at that. You've been pretty  
sheltered, haven't you?" Ghoul shook his head, then ran off to go help Jet  
Star do something with the car.

As he left, Kate reflected on his words, and realized that she had been  
pretty sheltered. She didn't really know much about Better Living  
Industries, other than the fact that they basically controlled North  
America with a vision and illusion of "perfection" and "universal  
happiness." Being a child of two successful businesspeople who'd inherited  
their families' companies, in all her sixteen years Kate had everything she  
could ever want, from toys, dance classes and pretty dresses to designer  
clothes, credit cards and fancy gadgets. Everything, she thought, but  
warmth and affection- her parents weren't the emotional types, and were  
happy to spoil their only daughter to keep her busy while they worked. When  
they were at home, it was still all about work, and Kate could barely  
remember even one time when her mother would stop to play a game with her  
or her father would read her a bedtime story. At school, she was quiet and  
didn't like talking to people, so she was labelled as the "freak" or the  
"bitchy rich girl". She was perfectly happy to sit in the back of the  
classroom with her headphones in, drawing and doing her work in isolation.  
She got good grades and had starred in the school's art show several times, but  
her parents never congratulated her beyond a pat on the back or a  
distracted "Good job, honey."

All this, she realized, was why she'd started cutting last year- it was as  
if she was invisible to her parents, and everyone around her.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Poison calling her name, and she  
jolted out of her trancelike state. "Hey, you, how was your sleep?" He  
jogged up next to her with a wide grin on his face. She smiled in return  
and replied with "Good, thanks. But oh- I wanted to ask you, why does it  
seem like Kobra dislikes me so much?" Poison's smile disappeared. "Oh.  
That's…that's a long story, Kate. I'll tell you tonight, okay?" "Oh-okay,"  
Kate stammered, surprised at his reaction. " Why was that such a big deal?"  
she wondered.


	5. Chapter 5: Kobra's Story & Poison's Pain

Chapter 5

All day, Kate was impatient to hear the story behind Kobra Kid's strange  
behaviour that Poison had promised to tell her. It was hot and dry out in  
the desert (as was to be expected), but Kate stayed inside the tent with  
her sweater on- if she got even slightly tan, all her scars were intensely  
visible, and she hated it. After several long hours of listening to her  
iPod, doodling and writing, interruped occasionally by Jet Star, Ghoul or  
Poison popping their heads in to say hi and see how she was doing, it was  
finally time for dinner and the usual campfire. She unzipped the tent,  
stood up and stretched and looked at the sky; it was getting very dark, and  
the stars were coming out. She smiled at the beauty of it; she'd always  
loved nighttime. She started over towards the center of their little camp,  
where Jet Star was piling more logs onto the already blazing campfire and  
Ghoul was stirring something in a metal pot on a camp stove. Poison and  
Kobra sat on a log, deep in conversation; Kobra had an intense, angry look  
in his eyes, and he stopped talking when he saw Kate approach. Poison  
turned, and his face lit up in a smile when he saw her. "Hey, Kate, how ya  
doin? Didn't get too bored all by yourself all day?" He strode over to her  
and wrapped an arm around her waist, and they walked to sit back down  
around the fire.

Ghoul called "Dinner's ready!", and so their strange little group ate  
together and talked (except Kobra- he kept pretty quiet, glaring at Kate  
occasionally) until the fire began to die and the stars and moon shone  
brightly in the pitch-black sky. At that point, Jet Star grabbed a bucket  
of water and tossed it over the remains of the flames, announcing "Time for  
bed, all."

The Killjoys and Kate exchanged goodnights, and Ghoul, Jet Star and Kobra  
headed off to their respective tents. Poison slung an arm around Kate's  
shoulders and they headed off to his tent, where Kate had spent the day and  
the previous night. Once inside, he politely turned away so Kate could  
change, and waited until she'd gotten settled comfortably amongst the  
blankets and pillows before taking a deep breath and saying "So I'm  
guessing you still want to know about my brother." Kate nodded; she'd been  
waiting all day for this. Poison sighed.  
"Well," he said, "about a year ago, Kobra...met a girl. She was  
fantastic- gorgeous, smart, funny and brave; much like you, I might add."  
He smiled and winked at Kate, making her blush, before continuing. "She was  
dead set on coming with us wherever we went, and was even willing to help  
us in our fight against BLI. She and Kobra were so in love; they would have  
done anything for each other, even die. And..." he sighed. "As it turned  
out, it came to that." Kate inhaled sharply. Although she'd kind of been  
expecting something like that, it still came as a shock to hear it in such  
plain terms.  
"One day, Bree- that was her name- wanted to come out on patrol  
with Kobra. We decided to let her go, cause there hadn't been any trouble  
from the Dracs in weeks and we figured she'd be fine. But it just so  
happened that that day, they encountered a huge squad of Dracs- Kate, there  
must've been fifty of them. None of us had ever seen, or even heard of  
anything like it."

Poison took another deep breath, and when he spoke  
again his voice was quieter and a little shaky. "Th-there was a battle.  
Kobra tried so hard, and we came as fast as we could, but..but in the  
end...there were just too many of them." Kate heard the pain in his voice,  
and she looked up and saw his beautiful features contorted in grief at the  
bitter memory. She leaned forward and rubbed his back gently, and he took a  
shuddering breath and finished his story. "Bree died that day, Kate,  
and..and Kobra's never been the same. He's my brother, and it was the worst  
thing in the world for me to see him go from smiling, happy, on top of the  
world in love, to...to what he is now. He hasn't really smiled or laughed  
in months, ever since it happened, and he tried to kill himself, Kate. I  
absolutely...I don't know what I would do if he had succeeded. I couldn't  
live without him. That's why he doesn't like you- he's afraid that the same  
thing will happen to me, and then neither of us will be able to keep on  
going."

He was crying now, tears falling freely down his smooth, pale  
cheeks, and Kate felt her own throat closing up as well. She couldn't even  
imagine what it would be like- to lose a brother like that, without even  
really losing him, but having to see him as a shadow of his former self. A  
ghost, hollowed out and drained of love and life.

In the warmth and semidarkness of the tent, Kate and Party Poison held  
each other and cried. Kate wrapped her arms around this man, the man she'd  
known for such a short time but had fallen in love with so quickly and so  
deeply. The man who seemed so confident and strong in the daylight, but who  
was destroyed every day by the pain his only brother had been through, and  
probably still went through today. She felt him lean into her embrace, and  
she held him tighter than ever. She could feel his vulnerability beneath  
the tough exterior, and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to protect  
him. She suddenly knew that that was what she needed to do, and silently  
vowed to do whatever she could to heal him.

Poison looked at Kate, this dark-haired beauty of his with the deep jade  
eyes and the beautiful, beautiful scars. In that moment, looking at her  
with tears streaming down both of their faces, he had never felt more love  
for anything or anyone. He knew that here and now, with Kate in his arms,  
was the happiest he'd ever been. And he knew that for as long as they both  
lived, he would protect this girl- this incredible, perfect, fragile girl,  
who had been through so much and was so strong, but at the same time was so  
delicate. He knew that, whatever happened, he would do anything to keep her  
safe.  
He would even die for her.


	6. Chapter 6: Trouble

The next morning, Kate woke up in Party Poison's arms. She looked up at hissleeping face and smiled; he had a hint of a smile on his lips, and he was curled protectively around her. Carefully, she disentangled herself from him and  
slipped outside, being as quiet as she could so as not to wake him.  
When he was sure she'd left the tent, Poison opened his eyes and sat up. He'd  
actually been up for awhile, watching Kate as she slept. She looked so peaceful  
and young; all the pain that plagued her during the day disappeared, save for  
the scars all over her skin. He'd closed his eyes and levelled his breathing  
again when he heard her stir, and carefully relaxed his limbs so she'd think he  
was still asleep (It had apparently worked, judging by the fact that she'd  
left)- but now he decided to "wake up". Poison straightened out the blankets and  
pillows and crawled over to put on his boots before stepping into the bright  
light of another hot desert morning.

He strolled over to the campfire, where Kate, Ghoul, Jet Star and Kobra were  
already seated and eating breakfast. Kate was telling a story that made the guys  
laugh, and as he approached she stopped talking and stood up with a grin.  
"Poison!" She waved and darted over to give him a hug. "Hi, you," he smiled,  
pulling her close. Ghoul and Jet Star looked at each other and gave an "Awwww,"  
smiling mischeviously. Kate blushed and Jet Star laughed. Kobra broke the  
playful mood by interjecting in a serious tone "Poison, we've got a big day  
ahead of us. There was a report of a gang of Dracs causing trouble downtown, so  
we'll have to go check that out." He paused, then added "The girl stays here."  
The guys' smiles quickly changed to more serious expressions and Kate's grin  
faded. "Right," Ghoul continued. "We got a transmission from Dr. D saying that  
there was a shooting and the Dracs were involved, and that we should come as  
soon as possible. We were just about to go wake you and then leave."  
"A shooting?" Poison frowned. "Was anyone hurt?"  
"We don't know yet, but it's possible."  
Poison sprang into action. "Alright, guys. Jet Star, you go start the car;  
Ghoul, put out the fire. Kobra- do you think we'll need our guns?" Kobra didn't  
say anything, but the grim look in his eyes told Poison all he needed to know.  
"I'll take care of those, then. Kobra, find out the current situation from Dr.  
D." They ran off; Jet Star to the car, Ghoul to the firepit and Kobra to the  
radio. Kate stood back, wide-eyed; this sounded serious, and she wasn't sure  
what to do. Poison started jogging to get the ray guns, but stopped and turned  
to her.  
"Kate. WIll you be alright here on your own? We shouldn't be gone too long, but  
it'll still be awhile. I'm sorry, my girl, but we can't risk it...again."  
Kate gave a slight nod. "I'll be fine. I understand."  
Poison smiled briefly and pulled her close once more. He kissed her on the top  
of the head before running off, calling "I'm sorry" over his shoulder as he  
went.


	7. Chapter 7: The Battle

Kate waited. She waited until she saw Jet Star run off in response to Kobra calling his name, leaving the car unattended, and then she saw her chance. She darted across the flat expanse of sand between where she stood and the car, and once she reached it she grasped the trunk handle and felt a jolt of delight when it swung open easily- not locked. Quickly, looking around to make sure none of the Killjoys had suddenly appeared, she climbed in, folding herself into the hot tight space. She looked up at the sunlight shining through the opening, and, taking one last breath of dry desert air, closed the lid.

She blinked in the sudden darkness and tried to assess her surroundings. The trunk was surprisingly large (or maybe it was just her small stature), so she wasn't overly uncomfortable, but the air was stuffy, warm and stale-tasting. There were a few pieces of firewood and what appeared to be an old, broken ray gun, but other than that it was empty. Somewhat settled now, she reflected on the last few minutes; she wasn't exactly sure what she'd been thinking, or even if she _had_ been thinking. She had seen the car and suddenly, tagging along with the guys seemed like a great and perfectly reasonable idea. She didn't really know what she would do from here-what if they opened the trunk? What was the point of stowing away, anyway? – but she tried to push those thoughts away and just go with it. (Not the best idea, she realized, but didn't want to not go through with her plan.

Suddenly, she heard the guys' footsteps approach the car running and Poison yelling something that she couldn't make out. The old Trans-Am bounced as they piled in and slammed the doors, and someone slammed on the gas. They screeched away with a puff of exhaust and a strong smell of singed rubber. Somehow, Kate fell asleep, but was soon awakened with a violent jolt as the vehicle stopped, brakes squealing. She heard gunshots and screaming from outside the car, and Poison swore and directed the other three to "keep your guns close and do what you can to hold them back. It's going to be a dangerous, chaotic mess, but we need to protect the civilians. Try to take as many of the Dracs down as you can, but _be_ _careful." _ Kate imagined the guys nodding grimly, and then waited until she was sure she'd heard them all exit the car. From outside, she heard more shots and cries, and thought she could make out the more distinctive sound of ray guns firing as well as the shouts of the Killjoys as they joined the battle in full force.

Carefully, oh so carefully, she opened the trunk lid a crack and peeked out. The car was parked on a slight slope some distance from the action, and she could almost see enough to figure out what was going on. Looking around, she cautiously clambered out of the tiny, enclosed space in which she'd been enfolded for nearly an hour and stepped onto the hard-packed sand. She decided that she'd be safest watching from inside the car, and so she scampered around to the rear passenger door and let herself in. She settled into the seat and stared at the battle. From her position, she could faintly see Ghoul's small form moving a group of kids away to safety before yelling something angrily at a Drac and firing at it rapidly. As she watched, Jet Star ran up and joined him and the two shot continuously until it fell. Kate felt a surge of pride for these men, who had accepted her as one of her own and who she felt more at-home with than her own family. But she was soon distracted by the sight of Poison- his shock of red hair making him easy to spot amongst the white-clothed Draculoids- firing left, right and center, next to Kobra on the front line. They took down a Drac easily, and then another, and another. The unbelievable strength and passion behind their actions was evident in the confident, powerful way they moved and shot, almost in perfect unison, and Kate was captivated. Suddenly, she saw something that none of the fighting Killjoys saw- one stray Draculoid, holding a vicious-looking gun of some kind and standing slightly off to the side. As she watched, it raised the scope to its face, aiming. She looked on, horrified, and followed its line of sight directly to…_Poison._


	8. Chapter 8: Vowing Revenge

**AN: This is a pretty intense chapter, but it's really short and I apologize.**

**-Shattered Sunshine xo :)**

Kate cried Poison's name as the terrifying scene unfolded. Suddenly, another figure appeared. Kate frantically pressed her face to the window to see who it was, and gasped when she made out Kobra's tall, lanky form and wiry limbs. He ran out from behind a building, and, right before the Drac fired, launched himself in front of his brother. There was a deafening crack that Kate could hear clearly even from inside the car. Time seemed to slow down, and she heard someone scream as Kobra's chest exploded in a burst of red. She felt dizzy and discombobulated; her vision blurred, and the last thing she remembered before everything went black was realizing that she was the one screaming.

"NO!" Poison cried out as Kobra fell. He felt something warm land on his face, and realized with a sickening lurch that it was his brother's blood. "NO! KOBRA! MIKEY! MIKEY…Mikes…no, no, no." He collapsed, sobbing and shaking and screaming his little brother's name again and again. _This couldn't be happening, _he thought_. Not Mikey. Not little Mikes….no._

He vaguely recalled Ghoul and Jet Star shouting his name and moving him away from the body. There was a screeching of tires that must have been the Dracs leaving the scene, and Poison suddenly lashed out with all his strength. The Dracs- they were the ones who had done this. They were responsible for the still-warm, bloody corpse that had been his brother and his best friend. And all he could think was "Revenge." The word pulsed in his ears- revenge. Revenge. Revenge. In that moment, as the other Killjoys yelled and grabbed his arms to keep him from running after the quickly disappearing car, he vowed to avenge Kobra's death if it was the last thing he did.


	9. Chapter 9: The Way Out

**AN: Hello, lovely readers! I'm sorry I haven't updated this in ages; I've had the worst writer's block and no time. This isn't great but I hope you like it. (Oh, and I'm terribly sorry about Mikey.) :c**

**-Shattered Sunshine xo :)**

Days passed, maybe weeks. Poison's life became a blur of sleepless nights, miserable days spent drinking and hiding out in the tent; yelling and swearing at anyone who tried to communicate with him and hating himself. He wouldn't even talk to Kate, and spent his time trying to drown his sorrows in alcohol. He blamed himself entirely; if he hadn't been up fighting that Drac, there never would have been the risk of him getting shot and therefore Kobra wouldn't have had any reason to jump in front of the bullet, and his only brother would still be here today.

He groaned and ground his fists into his eyes, trying to block out the painful image of his brother's bloody form flying backwards from the force of the impact and falling with a final _thud_ to the hard-packed desert earth. Tonight was especially bad; he heard the other Killjoys and Kate talking and laughing around the campfire from inside the tent, and it angered him. How dare they still laugh and continue with their lives when his little brother was gone? Kobra had been one of them, one of their best friends, and yet they just kept going as if nothing had happened. They had even stopped coming to check on him (which made sense, he supposed) and didn't acknowledge him on the rare occasion that he came out of his hiding place, whether to get more liquor or use the bathroom or whatever. It bothered him (probably more than it should), and he began to feel as if they would be better off without him. They had Kate now, after all, and she seemed to have been accepted into the group no problem. With Mikey gone and his best friends no longer seeming to care about him, what did he have to live for?

_Kate_, said a voice in the back of his head. _Kate, your angel._ He pushed the thought away. Even Kate would forget him eventually; it seemed like she already had. Sure, she'd come in quite regularly the first few days after it happened, sitting at the foot of his sleeping bag and trying to explain things or comfort him, but she'd always end up in tears and soon even those visits ceased. If he died, she would recover. Yes, she'd be sad at first, but she'd learn to move on. She'd have a normal life without him, not on the run with a bunch of misfit guys who called themselves heroes but couldn't even save the life of one man. She'd forget him, Party Poison the Killjoy or just plain Gerard, the man she once loved- _if she even did_, he thought.

Death seemed like quite a reasonable option now, and he began to think of how he could do it. Overdosing was out- he had a high alcohol tolerance and no pills or medicine; even if they'd had the BLI ones, they were formulated to be impossible to OD on. Hanging? _No, what if Kate finds me? I couldn't do that to her. _Shooting himself…they had no regular guns, just ray guns. Drowning? They were in the middle of the desert, and he'd heard that that didn't work anyway. He pressed his hands to his aching head and thought. His gaze travelled to his arms. No scars…Kate's arms were covered, so unlike the pristine white skin of his own. And how had they gotten there? _Cutting_. Lots of it, with something very sharp. Something very sharp that she may have brought with her, just in case… His eyes fell on her backpack in the corner, and he crawled over to it. He dug through it, pulling out her sketchbook, some pencils, her iPod, eyeliner, a hoodie…and wrapped in the hoodie, something small and sharp that gleamed silver in the dim light. He shook it out- a razor blade, perfectly sharp and ready to use.

He'd found his way out.


	10. Chapter 10: Forever

Party Poison took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and brought the blade to the vein in his left wrist, and pressed down gently- but then stopped. He opened his eyes and sighed; he couldn't do this. _Not without saying goodbye. _He would wait, he decided. He'd say goodbye to Kate tonight, and then he'd do it. He would.

He carefully rolled the blade back up in the hoodie and replaced Kate's things in her bag, then crawled back to his sleeping bag and fell into a tortured sleep.

When he awoke a few hours later, he unzipped the tent flap and looked outside. It was dark, and the campfire had been extinguished long ago. Taking another deep breath, Poison pulled his boots on and ventured outside the tent for the first time in weeks. He breathed in the cool night air and tiptoed over to Ghoul's tent, where he knew Kate had been sleeping; they'd left Kobra's tent empty, as a sort of memorial, and his heart ached as he walked past it. He swallowed and tried to unzip the blue nylon flap quietly. Fun Ghoul snored, sprawled in a mess of blankets on the right side of the tent, and Kate lay curled up in the other half, on her back with her face turned towards where Poison stood. He took a moment to just look at her, to drink in the beauty of her- the mass of dark hair against her porcelain skin; the delicate shadows her long eyelashes cast on her cheeks- before stepping slightly inside and gently shaking her shoulder.

"Kate," he whispered. "Kate, wake up."

She stirred awake, looking around in confusion. "Wha-? Poison, what's going on?" she spoke, her confused voice breaking the silence of the night. Poison put a finger to his lips, shushing her hurriedly and pointing to Ghoul. He gestured outside the tent, and she stood up and followed him out. In the moonlight, Poison could see that she was wearing an oversized T-shirt (Ghoul's) and the jeans that she'd (presumably) worn the day before. She looked beautiful, and he realized with a pang how much he had missed her.

"Kate." he said softly. "Kate, my angel, I came to say goodbye."

"Goodbye? What? Poison, where are you going? Are you okay?"

"Going…where am I going. I'm going away, my girl. Away from here, away from you, away from this life."

Kate gasped. "Poison! What do you mean…no…no, you can't. You can't leave me…the guys…no, no, Poison, please tell me you're joking." She broke off in tears and stumbled forward into his arms. Surprised, he jerked a bit but then relaxed and squeezed her tight to his chest. He could feel her tears wetting the thin fabric of his T-shirt, and suddenly he couldn't speak or even think. What was he doing? How could he have ever thought of leaving this beautiful creature, this wonderful girl who loved him so? The pain seemed to lessen as Kate looked up at him, tears streaming down her face, and then stood on tiptoes and kissed him softly. Their lips met, and Poison could taste the salt of her tears. Their mouths moved together, exploring, learning. It was passionate and loving and gentle and bittersweet and perfect, and it ended all too soon. Kate spoke:

"Poison, I never want you to leave. I want you to stay with me- forever - and I will do everything in my power to make your life worth living again."

"Kate?"

"Yes?"

"You're the only thing I'm living for, and I can't leave you. I don't know what I was thinking. I'll stay, forever, until you want me to leave. You're the only hope for me, and I want to help you recover, my angel; I know you can do it. Can...can I be the only hope for you?"

This he said with the slightest hint of a blush and a smile, hope in his eyes.

"Does this answer your question?" Kate said teasingly, leaning up and kissing him again. Poison smiled and closed his eyes, pulling her close to him and relishing the warmth of their embrace. When they broke apart again, she looked him directly in the eyes and whispered three words softly, almost inaudibly:

"I love you."

They stayed up for the rest of the night, talking and kissing and learning everything about each other until dawn broke over the flat plains and bathed the world in a gentle pink light. They sat back and watched the sun rise, until suddenly Kate spoke.

"Could I...come with you?"

"With us? You mean- you mean join the Killjoys?"

"Yes. I- I guess you'll need someone to replace Kobra, and there is no way I'm leaving you."

Poison smiled. He couldn't have asked for anything more than to have Kate with him all the time, and this was perfect. "Of course, my girl. You can run away with me anytime you want."

Kate looked at him, eyes shining bright. "Really? Oh, this is amazing! I wasn't expecting you to say yes. Oh my God. Wow. This is great." Poison smiled. "Great. I'll train you myself, although I know the guys'll want to help too; they love you!" She laughed. "Wow. This'll be fantastic...a whole new life." "Oh, yeah, that's the other thing- you'll need to change your name." "Oh."

She thought for a minute, then spoke. "Angel. Venom Angel. Because, well, you call me your angel, and venom is kind of like poison, so..." She broke off and looked up at him with a sheepish grin. "What do you think?"

"It's perfect."

And so Party Poison and his Venom Angel sat in the early-morning light, talking and laughing and making plans for the incredible future they had ahead of them. The world seemed bright and full of possibilty- much better than it had late the night before, when Poison was planning to take his own life and get out of his own living hell. Now, sitting here with the reason he was still alive by his side, he could see nothing but a blank canvas, just waiting for him- and Kate- to fill with adventures and stories and love. Together with the rest of the Killjoys, they'd avenge Kobra's death and Poison's mind would be at rest at last.

Yes, the future looked good, and he couldn't wait to share it with Kate. He turned to her wordlessly and took her in his arms, kissing her with a fierce passion as the sun shone intensely over them, illuminating their silhouettes against the clear desert sky- the Killjoy and the runaway, together at last and for always.


End file.
